“O’Zapft Is,” old Bavarian for “it is tapped,” is the beginning ceremony in every tent in Munich, where the tent host hammers a tap into the first gravity keg of Festbier and announces the beginning of Oktoberfest. At Golden Age, we aim to bring you as close to the Munich experience as possible during Oktoberfest, and as such we’re excited to host our very own O’Zapft Is this Friday when we begin Oktiberfest!

The Friday fun begins at 4 p.m. with O’Zapft is! (“it is tapped”). We’re expecting good weather, and we’re bringing you not just one gravity keg, but an entire gravity keg bar, with Maß (1 liter) pours only, the standard unit of measure for Bavarian beer consumption. The bar will feature gravity kegs of all four of our Golden Age Oktoberfest lagers:

• Rauchbier Märzen (smoked historic Märzen, brewed in March and aged an entire 6 months before its tapping this Friday)

• Oktoberfest (Modern Märzen brewed a bit drier for fast and flavorful consumption)

• Festbier (Modern pale lager brewed strong for festival season!)

• Ur-Märzen (historic Märzen based of the recipe for the first beer labeled “Oktoberfest” which accompanied the festival in 1872; our collaboration with our dear friends at Dancing Gnome)

(We also should note that we have a FIFTH Oktoberfest beer — not available in gravity keg — that we brewed specifically for Oktoberfest called “OakToberweizen,” a oak-smoked hefeweizen that is a true stunner for all the rauchbier fans).

Then, at 7 p.m. we dance! As you all surely know, Oktoberfest began in 1810 as a wedding celebration when Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. So we figured, what better way of celebrating our first night than hiring the best damn wedding band in town to throw us a party on Friday night! So, we asked our pals from Check Your Bucket and Yacht Rocket if they’d put one together for us, and I promise you, it’s going to be extraordinary. Come ready to dance (you can even just do it at your tables like they do at Oktoberfest in Munich) and sing along! And, we’re encouraging everyone to wear your finest “trachten,” i.e. your lederhosen and dirndls for our celebration!